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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Immigration is defined as the movement of a person to a country where he or she wasn't born in. There are several reasons for immigration or acquiring a visa, it may be to temporarily work at a company's off-shore branch, to get specialized training and education, to seek refuge/sanctuary, or to escape from one's obsolete government system and poor economy. The last of the given reasons may be the main reason why people from the third world countries like me have for moving to another country.

Many people have asked me how to get an American visa because most would think that the United States of America is the only land of milk and honey. Although I would love to answer their question, the thing is, my family and I immigrated to Canada. But I never left them hanging and I always recommend them to visit GlobalVisas.com because these are the professionals that could correctly answer their inquiries. Acquiring a visa is not as easy as one would think. There are several processes, legal steps, and prerequisites that it would make one confused and frustrated. A mistake in the application process could either mean a denial from the the embassy or a re-application. Either way, you would have wasted all your time, not to mention expenses. This is why it is important to have a reliable Immigration and Visa Consultancy to give you legal advice and accompany you through out the application process.

Global Visas is the leading authority in helping individuals and even corporate clients in obtaining US, UK, and Canadian Visas with the help of their years of experience, research, and a dedicated teams of immigration lawyers and migration consultants across the world.

Getting a visa is the key to your dreams and goals. Don't allow yourself to make a huge mistake that would compromise everything that you have worked hard for. Seek the help of professionals and not just some hear-says from other people.

Monday, September 28, 2009

There are several sayings or words of wisdom that I have learned through the years but one stands out and holds some truth: "Words are powerful forces that can cause an extreme reaction, and once uttered can never be taken back."

That is why I always regret it when I say some stupid things. Well I have said and done several stupid things in my life that I find it difficult naming one. In fact I say stupid things all the time and I don't even notice it. My blog is a testament to my frequent moments of stupidity or "blonde moments" if you can see it that way.

But again not all stupid statements are wrong. On fact they may even be the smartest thing that one could ever say.

I see saying stupid things as failures. And without failures we will never learn.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

I really didn't like what I heard on the news recently. Sears Canada was outsourcing it's call center to third world countries. Seriously? There are a lot of jobless Canadians out there and then they're sending these jobs out of the country.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy that the third world countries' economy would definitely get a boost from all the jobs and inflow of income but as a Canadian, the economics and the future of Canada is my business.

I have no interest in getting a job in a call center, but the main point here is with more jobs in Canada, more Canadians will have more income to spend on goods and services, which in turn would improve the Canadian economy.

I just hope that the Canadian economy would soon recover from this recession.

I love shopping online, but not as much as I love my iPhone. My iPhone comes with me wherever I go and it keeps me connected with my friends, I get the internet anywhere I go, and I have my personal media center with me 24/7.

The only downside with the iPhone and other phones for that matter is that the accessories are quite expensive. Oh I know this for a fact especially when I have to replace my iPhone headset. I tell you it's quite expensive.

It is a great news to know though that there is a website called Mobile Fun which as their name suggest just bring fun out of mobile phones. They have a wide range of selection of phones and phones accessory and I love their next day delivery so you wouldn't have to suffer the anxiety of waiting for your order to arrive.

I especially love this website because you get more bang for the buck! For the price of the iPhone headset that I recently purchased from another website, I could have bought an iPhone Premium Pack which consists of the following:

Desk stand

Car holder

Leather pouch case

Screen protector

Cleaning cloth

USB charging cable

Mains charger adapter

Car charger adapter

What a great deal indeed! Well I've learned my lesson and next time I know where to shop for my phone accessories: Mobile Fun!

Oh yes while I'm still on the topic, if you have any old phones gathering dust anywhere in your house, you might want to send them to Mobile Fun to be recycled. And they could even compensate you for your old phone, so send in your old phones for cash!

Well, this is actually quite an old news but I was too lazy to post last week so here's the latest update on my wonderful life! Yup you heard me! This won't be one of my I-hate-my-life-and-I-want-to-destroy-the-world posts because right now everything is working out right for me. I have so many things to be grateful for and I am glad that my depressing life has made a complete 180 degrees turn!

First, I quit my job at effing Tim Hortons! Hooray for me! I should have done this last year (well I did) and I should have never came back when they offered me my job back. Anyway, Tim Hortons has been the source of all my frustrations and anger. I would NEVER EVER work at a fastfood chain EVER again because I have my pride and I don't want to be dissed and called a contract worker (I aplogize if I offend contract workers). Tim Hortons was the perfect venue for pathetic losers to project all their frustrations and loser life to us who work there because they think that just because they can afford a cheap coffee from Tim Hortons they're already something. Anyway this is supposed to be a happy post so I'll cut my rant short.

Second, I have the absolute best job right now! I am extremely happy to be working for Best Buy. The pay is amazing, the work load is light (they practically pay me to be doing nothing at all), and the people (co-workers and customers) are very nice and friendly.The hours of work are also great!

Third, I'm finally accepted into the nursing program at Grant MacEwan! I actually now have a reason to live!

I'm actually quite hapier now as compared to before where I was depressed over being a pathetic loser because I was out of school, had no degree, and I was looked down as a good for nothing slave at Tim Hortons.

I'm actually a very nice person but ever since those Filipinos started barging their way into my life, my perspectives have changed. I don't want to be a person who is awakened in the middle of the night wanting to strangle those people I hate. If you would compare my posts from before I arrived in Canada and my recent posts you would see that I have become a different person. I want to be a strong person but I don't want to hurt other people in the process.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I support a kid in the Philippines who is studying nursing. IT IS HIS PASSION JUST LIKE YOURS.I have stressed to him that FUN, RELATIONSHIPS and OTHER things can wait till after he graduates. He is in his 2nd yr now.My question: Is this a mistake to ask him to set all these FUN things aside? If u had to do it over again, would u have had relationships, fun outings and other things? He has not set them aside but i keep asking.Thanks for you input. I am really enjoying this blog and wish u luck on getting back into school!

Casey

Before I answer your question Casey, I'd like to thank you first for visiting my blog and I am glad that you enjoy reading my rants and occasional bouts of wisdom. I apologize if I missed your question before and I will try my best to help you with your dilemma.

So here it goes. Honestly, I believe that there should always be a balance between play and work. This is especially true with regards to the kid you're supporting. I'm not just spouting nonsense as I usually do, because in fact, my statements can be supported by Eric Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development.

Right now, your 2nd year post-secondary student is in the stages of adolescence and early adulthood. In Erikson's Psychosocial Stage 5: Identity vs Confusion, adolescents are exploring the world, developing their sense of self and independence. If you always prevent your kid from going out with friends and exploring how the real world is, your kid will be ill-equipped to face challenges ahead and he will be insecure with himself and will be unsure of the future (just like me!). But if you provide your kid with positive reinforcement, supporting him in his extracurricular activities or hobbies, then he will turn out to be a self-assured, independent, and a confident young man.

Having fun with friends and going on trips is also a great way to cope with stress from school. Because with out coping mechanisms like taking a day off from a week of studying and tests, your kid might be burnt out and we don't want this to happen as it could lead to depression and extreme fatigue which would affect his will and determination to finish his studies.

It was actually my personal choice to say no to going out with friends, especially on a school night, because I really wanted to make my mom proud of me. I always aimed to be on the Dean's List and get high grades. The only reason I said that all my hard work was useless was because I had to waste one and a half year of my life working at a dead-end job, with the ability to speak and read English as the only job requirement. I was depressed because my classmates, who never were dean listers in their life, were now graduates. But everything is great now! I have my acceptance letter from MacEwan and I already quit my job at Tim Hortons, the source of all my agony and despair.

So let your kid enjoy himself once in a while. But of course he should make his studies his priority over romantic relationships and play. Setting priorities, making a schedule, and balance are key figures to his success.

I hope my insight helped you in your decision. Take care and best of luck Casey!

Friday, September 18, 2009

I've always been a Windows user and supporter but ever since I've laid eyes on a MacBook Pro my craving to have my hands on one became insatiable! Everything became worst when I've visited the Apple website and saw all those Apple Ads stating reasons why Macs are better than PCs.

I became even more dumbfounded about this whole issue when I've realized that I actually wasted my money on buying a desktop and laptop when I could have just bought a Mac. I really am frustrated at myself as I allowed myself to buy a Dell Studio XPS 13 for $1,300 when I could have just bought a 13-inch Macbook Pro for the same price. The only reason I didn't want a Mac was because I thought I couldn't afford it but when I think about it I've been spending money like crazy the past months that I could have just saved it and put it to good use like buying a Mac.

But it's too late to cry over spilled milk... I guess I have to live with my Dell... what's more frustrating is that I bought my Dell a few months earlier before the promo where you can be eligible for a free Windows 7 upgrade if you have a Windows Vista Home Premium and above versions. Tsk tsk... next time I'm going to do more research and be more patient when buying major purchases like computers.

There are a lot of things that I want to buy but I have to set priorities. My number priority would be helping out with the home furnishings when we move in to our new home, second would be my education of course, and third would be my car payments because seriously... if you're a nursing student, a car is a definite need and not a want.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Ok, I actually said HERE that I'm not quitting Tim Hortons but I really can't help it if I'm so darn unhappy. It's possibly the second worst job ever. It's second because working at Quiznos was my worst job experience.

Best Buy called me up saying that they wanted to hire me and just bring a void cheque and all. I did go to Best Buy (waited an hour thinking I didn't get the job because I was late for 15 minutes) and surprise surprise! $11.75/hour as a computer specialist. So basically I just turn on/off the computers, check the prices, help customers decide which computer to buy. There is absolutely no commision for our sales so I don't have to force people to buy the most expensive computers and stuff.

I actually like the atmosphere at Best Buy. The location is perfect, just one bus ride, and the location only serves a small community so it isn't busy at all. I start work tomorrow so I'm so excited. Although I love computers I cannot say that I'm a "specialist" lol so let's just see how they like me.

I actually didn't quit at Tim Hortons yet because I wanted to play it safe. I still have work at Tim Hortons next week too so I don't know how things will turn out... I didn't give a 2 week notice or even a week notice... I'm so bad. I actually asked for a week vacation the week after next week, so that I could think about whether I'll quit or work part-time at Timmy's. I only was given part-time but they said that some even work full-time hours so it's no biggy. I'll just make sure I work 5 days a week.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

For the past few weeks I've been searching for jobs because I wasn't very happy with my current work conditions at Tim Hortons. Although I was compensated well I felt that my pride can't handle being looked down upon because I only work at a fast food chain and I didn't want to be perceived as a contract worker who just came to Canada to work (no offence to Filipino contract workers). Plus there were these old Filipinos who had nothing better to do but harass me, they check on what we're doing like hawks and criticizing every action that I take.

That's why I wanted to look for another job. I've applied to several jobs and the only employers that were interested in hiring me were Save on Foods, Best Buy, and Wal Mart. I had interviews at Best Buy and Wal Mart. I actually was hired and Wal Mart and even had my orientation and tour of the store which was great because I was paid for it. But I'm not really happy with Wal Mart because I was only given a part-time cashier position and I'm only paid $9.70/hour so I'm going to inform the management tomorrow that I won't be able to commit because I get better hours and a higher pay at Tim Hortons.

I'm still expecting a call at Best Buy but I guess I'm going to have to decline because I need to get work at Saturday and Sunday too when I start school this January, and I don't think Best Buy will give me those hours. I will still have to weigh the pros and cons, like hours, the salary, the long term employment, etc before commiting to the job, that is if Best Buy hires me (I hope not).

I see Tim Hortons in a new light now. I used to get so tired and I actually hated the job but after seeing that my job pays me well and the job load isn't that bad too (depends on who the supervisor is). Plus I'm guaranteed to have a part-time job when I'm working which I really need because I need to get my own car.

I don't care what people think or say about me. All I care is that I need the money because I have bills to pay and let's face it. Money makes the world go round. And in my defense, even rich kids want to work at Wal Mart or Tim Hortons and other places because they want to earn their own money. So even if I'm Filipino, I'm no way cheap. It's true that I'm not rich but I have enough to get by and buy some of the things I want. I'm still just a student, what do you expect? I don't intend to play the who's richer game that Filipino plays because that is just plain stupid.

So I love Tim Hortons! It's a great place to work and what other people think is not important.